Preview

Pentane Combustion Lab

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
667 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Pentane Combustion Lab
Aim:
The aim of this experiment is to determine which fuel, out of Pentane, Propane-1-ol and Propane-2-ol would be the most appropriate to take on a camping trip to a national park where wood cannot be used to burn. Factors that need to be considered are:
• Heat of combustion (flash point)
• Heat of vaporisation (boiling point)
• How long the fuel will last
• Does the fuel heat up the water relatively quickly
• Does the fuel combust completely
Hypothesis:
If the tests are all successful, Pentane should produce a larger flame than the Propan-1-ol or Propan-2-ol as it is the most flammable and has the most energy. This however, may mean that it is too dangerous to take camping as the fire may quickly get out of control.
Pentane has a flash
…show more content…
Information needed:
No. of moles: 0.008
Change in mass: 0.5023g
Specific heat capacity: 4.2
Change in temperature: 10.5°C
Molar mass: 60.1g/mol

Firstly to calculated a sample for heat of combustion (-∆H) the heat (Q) needs to be calculated. Using the first tests’ results.
The formula for Q is
Q = mc∆T
Q = 0.5023grams x 4.2 x 10.5°C
Q = 23.15143
Next the number of moles have to be found, the formula for N is
N = m / mm
N = 0.5023grams / 60.1grams/mol
N = 0.008
Finally the heat of combustion can now be found
-∆H = -Q / N
-∆H = -23.15143 / 0.008
-∆H = -2.89392875kJ per mole

From the tests conducted it was found that Pentane is not a suitable fuel to use for cooking as it is too flammable and dangerous. In the five experiments conducted, three were fails as the pentane vapours leaked out around the rim of the burner and caught fire so they had to be extinguished with sand. The other two tests were completed successfully. Out of the three fuels, Pentane also burnt the quickest.
All of the tests for Propan-1-ol and Propan-2-ol were completed successfully with no fires or other

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    Flame Color. Next, flame tests were conducted with a solution of 0.1 g 643p in l mL distilled H2O and samples of the remaining possible compounds with the same concentration. A wire loop was cleaned and dipped into the solution and held over the hottest part of the flame of a Bunsen burner. This procedure was completed for the each solution, cleaning the wire loop between each test to avoid contamination and recording and photographing each flame color and…

    • 1844 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Exp 7 Flame

    • 281 Words
    • 2 Pages

    This experiment taught me how to properly perform and observe chemicals using the flame test.…

    • 281 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    1. Which reactants used in this experiment are flammable? Discuss the safety precautions that are necessary when working with flammable materials in the lab?…

    • 2467 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    We hypothesized that if we recorded a fuel with a high energy to low volume ratio, then the fuel would be a better substance to use commercially, because fuels need to have a high energy output and low storage volume to be used as fuel. Our hypothesis was proven correct, as this experiment allowed us to gain a better grasp on the concepts of enthalpy, heat capacity, and thermochemical reactions, all of which were necessary for us to understand to complete the task. Paraffin wax produces more energy per gram than Ethanol based on our test results, and simply by the molecule comparison itself. Since Ethanol is an oxygenated molecule and already contains oxygen, it cannot burn at the same intensity as Paraffin does, since Paraffin is…

    • 320 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Pentanol has eight structural isomers, however due to shortage or unavailability, only three isomers were able to be utilised. This only contributes a narrow outlook on pentanol and it’s variance in combustion rates based on structure. In order to produce a fair scientific test, each isomer was combusted three times, allowing a more reliable result and not creating inconsistent, singular results. Precision exists within the test to a certain degree where a single higher percentage error is received on the first test and two similarly low results are received consecutively. The design of the experiment was constantly being modified and improved upon with practice tests resulting in a more refined experimental setup.…

    • 1468 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    This was a lot safer than using a wood stove to cook dinners. Also, kerosene allowed for oil to be preserved more as it would be refined down and made into kerosene then sold, rather than just selling the oil as its found and possibly…

    • 1655 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Common Sense Test

    • 388 Words
    • 2 Pages

    oil burner, a kerosene lanp, and a wood burning stove, which one would you light first?…

    • 388 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Nahco3 And Nahco3

    • 1380 Words
    • 6 Pages

    To determine the change of standard Gibbs free energy for the decomposition of sodium hydrogen carbonate (NaHCO3) from the change of standard enthalpy and the change of standard entropy.…

    • 1380 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    It is the heat energy released that we are concerned with, the amount released in this reaction will provide us with the calorific value for each fuel.…

    • 1102 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Flame Tests Lab Report

    • 1126 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The purpose of this lab was to see what colors are characteristic of particular metallic ions in a flame test and use their characteristic color to identify other elements. Another purpose is to understand how fireworks work. This experiment will help one understand how a flame test is performed and that every metal has a unique bright line spectra. This means a bright line spectra can be used to identify any element. This information can be used to identify elements in space to tell whether a planet has oxygen on it or not. If one can tell if a planet has oxygen on it based on its bright line spectra, research could be done to tell if people can live on the planet or not. This would be a huge advance in science if it was possible to tell if people can live on other planets by knowing the elements on the other planets. This would solve the problem of the world becoming over-populated and would help prevent the spread of disease.…

    • 1126 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Bomb Calorimeter

    • 1144 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The aim of this experiment is to determine the heat of combustion for naphthalene. This is the some basic bomb procedures. In this experiment, we us naphthalene as a fuel in bomb calorimeter which naphthalene powder is turned to pellet using pellet press. The fuel is burnt at constant volume condition in a high pressure container (the bomb). The whole bomb, pressurized with excess of oxygen. The mass of iron wire, ma =0.02g. The mass of naphthalene pellet with iron wire, mb =0.38g. The bomb is submerged in 850g of water and the initial temperature of calorimeter state temperature of calorimeter water before burning the fuel, Ti is recorded and also steady state temperature of calorimeter water after burning the fuel, Tf. Water equivalent (effective heat capacity) of the calorimeter is calculated using the following heat balance equation: mn cn=W x cw x ∆T.…

    • 1144 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Combustion Of Alcohols

    • 2213 Words
    • 8 Pages

    To measure ?H given off, we must use this energy to heat something, this will be water. This is assuming that all the heat produced by combustion of fuel (?H) will equal the amount of heat absorbed by the water (q). So I will measure the amount of energy required to do so. This can be worked out by useing the formula: q = mass X specific heat capacity X temperature rise 1000 Where q is the quantity of heat. The specific heat capacity is the amount of energy required to heat the substance, and is calculated…

    • 2213 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Alternative Fuels – Data

    • 1507 Words
    • 7 Pages

    | * Molar mass: 44.1 g/mol * Appearance: Colourless gas * Odor: Odorless * Density: 2.0098g/cm3 * Melting point-118℃ * Boiling point:-42℃ * Vapor pressure:853.16 kPa (at 21.1℃) * Polarity: non polar…

    • 1507 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The experimental system is schematically shown in Fig. 2. Methane and air of high pressure were stored in two gas tanks. Their pressures were reduced to atmospheric pressure by using pressure-reducing valves, whilst the inlet velocity, Vin, and the equivalence ratio, f, were controlled by electric-mass-flow meters with an accuracy of 1% over the full range. The fuel and air streams were fully mixed before entering into the combustor. An electric spark igniter was applied to ignite the fresh mixture.…

    • 746 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Cambodia, UNDP. (2010). Environment and Energy. Retrieved from United Nations Development Programme Cambodia: http://www.un.org.kh/undp/knowledge/publications/category/proj-doc-ee-2 EIS. (2012). Economic Institute of Cambodia. Retrieved from Home Page: http://www.eicambodia.org/ gekgasifier.com. (2012). How it works. Retrieved from Gekgasifier.com: gekgasifier.com/gasification-basics/how-it-works/ HERAIL, A. (2006). Study about biomass wastes in Cambodia and processing them as alternative fuels. Retrieved from Improved Biomass Cooking Stoves: http://www.stoves.bioenergylists.org/geresherail ALL Power Lap (2012). Gasifier Experimenters Kits. Retrieved from www.gekgasifier.com Power Pallets: Intergrated Gasifier-Genset Skids. (2012). Retrieved from Gasifier Experimenters Kit: http://gekgasifier.com/gasification-store/gasifier-genset-skids/ Juggler. (n.d.). How to make some Charcoal. Retrieved from Instructable: http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Make-some-Charcoal/…

    • 3534 Words
    • 15 Pages
    Powerful Essays